Tim Mack article

[BillVol]

Re: Tim Mack article

Oops! I was thinking about the 12 guys who have cleared 6 meters. LOL Yes, a 39-foot vault is carrying things too far!

[tafnut]

Re: Tim Mack article

>>the Mile is unarguably the King of track events
Yeh, I mean out of all>the GLs, GPs, and championships this year, it must have been a whole two times>the distance was raced!!?!
;-)

Their ignorance is not my problem.
double ;-)

[Jon]

Re: Tim Mack article

Ding dong the king* is dead



* - of track events.... apparently

;-) ;-) ;-)

[tafnut]

Re: Tim Mack article

don't make no nevermind to me! I'm more into hurdles and field events anyway!

[gh]

Re: Tim Mack article

<<If there were as many people vaulting as
>there were running, maybe the numbers of people under 4 mins and over 6 M would
>be closer.>>

Not a chance on the planet. Running a sub-4:00 requires "only" a single skill (given that hard training is a prereq in all events): the ability to put one foot in front of the other fast enough for long enough. And people with all kinds of native speed or lack thereof (from "pure" halfmilers to 10K guys) can do it if they put their mind to it.

Pole vault requires significant amount of basic sprint speed (that you can't get no matter how hard you train), a body type that allows you to perform gymnastic moves, superb coordination and, most of all, the ability not to shit in your pants when approaching a box at 20mph and willingly turning yourself upside down.

As a decent all-around athlete, if I had devoted every fiber of my being to the mile I suppose I might have been a 4:15-4:20 guy, but the same amount of devotion would have seen me topping out at 10ftin the PV.

[tafnut]

Re: Tim Mack article

what he just said!

[EPelle]

Re: Tim Mack article

Tim Mack is a down-to-earth, happy-go-lucky kind of guy -- or at least was when I approached him for a drug test two years ago (while volunteering at the USATF champs at Stanford while on vacation). He jived with me for a while, took me around the infield, introduced me to a few other vaulters, then kept reminding me to remind him how much time he had left "to pea in a cup." One 17-year-old Tommy Skipper stayed around long after his own competition was over and asked Mack for advice. Mack told him that he had watched some of his jumps (junior nationals at same track), and gave him some pointers. It was awesome watching Mack give so freely of himself. He gave Skipper his URL, and told him to contact him through the site for more support.

[26mi235]

Re: Tim Mack article

I think the point made by the journalist in a mass-market newspaper is being missed completely. He did not say that a 6m vault and a 4min mile are the same thing. He used the analogy that it was a barrier of some note. Now, what track and field barrier of some note would you expect the readers of the paper to understand? I think that the 4-minute mile was the appropriate comment.

[As for the difficulty of the pole vault. Yes, it is difficult, and probably more so with the advent of the fiberglss pole. I see the various difficulties officiating the event. However, 10 feet was not very difficult. About four of us from my HS freshman gym class (1964, with steel poles) got over 10 feet with a couple of days instruction, and none of us ever became vaulters because we were not good enough. 12 feet would be a more serious barrier with the old technology.]

[BillVol]

Re: Tim Mack article

Interesting. But consider this. Michael Jordan, despite his great athletic ability, could not hit a baseball. But fat John Kruk, with relatively little athletic ability, could.

To make my point, I'll say that basketball players are like PVers and baseball players are like milers, since basketball players IMO have many more skills and athletic attributes than baseball players. Speed, quickness, endurance, hand-eye coordination, dexterity, jumping... Meanwhile, many great baseball players are out of shape and have none of the above.

To hit a baseball does not require IMO the athletic ability that basketball does. BUT, Michael Jordan could not hit a baseball. To me this somewhat illustrates that the pole vault is not any "harder" than the mile (or 1500). Jordan could not hit a curve ball, but fat John Kruk could.

Also, Michael Jordan, despite all of his athletic ability, could not bowl like Earl Anthony, who has relatively little athletic ablility compared to Jordan. So even though vaulters have to possess all that you said, this does not mean IMO that PV is any harder than the mile.

My point is this: Each person is made to specialize in certain sports. It might seem that other sports require more than the other, but that doesn't matter. People are better suited for certain sports/events -- period. None is "harder" than the other. It does not mean that the pole vault is in any way harder to do than the mile. You ask Tim Mack which is harder and he'll probably tell you the mile.

My guess is that there are, out there, just as many people suited for the pole vault as there are for running. But the pole vault just is not accessible to 99% of the population. Running is accessible to all of it.

Bottom line here IMO is that all sports/events IMO are equally hard. To reach the top level in any sport is equally "hard" as any other sport.



Not a
>chance on the planet. Running a sub-4:00 requires "only" a single skill
>(given that hard training is a prereq in all events): the ability to put one
>foot in front of the other fast enough for long enough. And people with all
>kinds of native speed or lack thereof (from "pure" halfmilers to 10K guys)
>can do it if they put their mind to it.

Pole vault requires significant
>amount of basic sprint speed (that you can't get no matter how hard you train),
>a body type that allows you to perform gymnastic moves, superb coordination
>and, most of all, the ability not to shit in your pants when approaching a box
>at 20mph and willingly turning yourself upside down.

As a decent all-around
>athlete, if I had devoted every fiber of my being to the mile I suppose I might
>have been a 4:15-4:20 guy, but the same amount of devotion would have seen me
>topping out at 10ftin the PV.

[marknhj]

Re: Tim Mack article

I'd have to respectively disagree; I think the technical aspects involved in all field events make them inherently more difficult than the mile. Sure, none of us would be very good at the mile and would find it "harder" in the context of being knackered at the effort but GH is correct in that the multiple elements to be mastered in the PV make it much more challenging than simply putting one foot in front of the other. I think he also left out one idiosyncrasy of great PV-ers, they're all nuts!

[Pego]

Re: Tim Mack article

The great neurophysiologist Sir John Eccles considered Hanry Aaron as the ultimate in coordination. BTW to me it is the coloratura soprano.

[tafnut]

Re: Tim Mack article

Physically (genetically) speaking, the miler requires one gift, the pole vaulter many. Mentally (psychologically) speaking, the PV requires the mastery of a very complex technique, plus great dedication. The miler requires just great dedication.

[tandfman]

Re: Tim Mack article

>The great neurophysiologist Sir John Eccles considered Hanry Aaron as the ultimate in coordination. BTW to me it is the coloratura soprano.<


I guess you haven't heard about the new Chicago production of Das Rheingold.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/02/arts/ ... oref=login

[EPelle]

Re: Tim Mack article

I have no idea what this kid:s PB:s are, but thought the combination was interesting:

... "David has dazzled Fox Lane with his incredible amount of effort throughout high school and has finally been rewarded for it. He has been on the track team for three years (and cross country for two years) and as a team has broken the Distance Medley Relay (school record), went to nationals for the four-mile relay, and has won the league in pole vaulting two times. David is what you might call an “all around” type of guy. He says that he can become obsessed with everything and is passionate about many things, however is always willing to try something new." ...

http://www.bedford.k12.ny.us/flhs/forum ... s0503.html (third column/Meet This Year’s Salutatorian: David Senft)

[gh]

Re: Tim Mack article

>>I guess
>you haven't heard about the new Chicago production of Das
>Rheingold.>>

Weia! Waga! Woge, du Welle!